Europe Leads Way In Third World Poverty Relief

The UN wants world poverty halved by 2015, and claiming a breakthrough in the fight against world poverty, today European nations agreed to increase to double its development aid to poorer nations. In five years time, the EU's aid to poor countries will be worth an extra £14 billion ($26 billion) annually. UK Chancellor Gordon Brown said "huge progress" had been made.

The 15 richest EU member states have agreed to set a new spending target - at least 0.51% of their national wealth - on the developing world by 2010. The other 10 poorer, mostly eastern European member states - who joined the EU last year - agreed a 0.17% target.

The goals, which were approved by UK International Development Secretary Hilary Benn and fellow EU ministers, are an attempt to revive momentum towards achieving a United Nations target to halve world poverty by 2015. The UN target would involve 0.7% of national wealth being spent on development by that date. The target, which was set 35 years ago, has only been achieved by four EU countries - Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Five others - the UK, France, Belgium, Finland and Spain - have set firm dates to meet it.

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown hailed the aid increase, but said it was now important to bring together all the world's richest nations to sign up to a single plan. He hoped the plan could be agreed when Britain chaired the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July. He said he was sure America would support efforts to increase the amount of aid going to the developing world. Mr Brown said: "What we have seen is all 25 European Union countries - the poorest and the richest - coming together to promise that aid, which was $40bn last year will be $80bn by 2010.

"So Europe is saying it will double aid. It is putting that money to health and education and particularly into Africa." - BBC

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